


The Further You Go, the More You Wish You Hadn’t

by RiYuYami



Series: Pulling Strings [32]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: CHAPTER FOUR SPOILERS, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-11
Updated: 2018-06-11
Packaged: 2019-05-21 04:34:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14908418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiYuYami/pseuds/RiYuYami
Summary: If it’s not one thing, it’s another in this studio. But what can Henry do about these strange, inky people, or “Bendy’s” bizarre behavior?None of this is helping with the fact that the former animator feels like there might be another threat in the studio the further he goes to save Boris and get out.





	The Further You Go, the More You Wish You Hadn’t

**Author's Note:**

> Time to do a sequel to A Change, For Better or For Worst, so it’s basically starting off where the other left off with Henry’s part.
> 
> On with the fic!

This area looked like a disaster waiting to happen.

Henry frowned as he looked at the rickety, old wooden planks that lined the walls as a path, leading high up in the large cavern-like room he had entered. With a careful glance over his shoulder, Henry turned and started to move up the path.

He didn’t like the fact that just moments ago, he saw the Ink Machine lowering down into the black abyss below…

As he walked, he could hear the crackle and pops of the speakers, great, she was back.

**"I see you there, my little errand boy. _Your angel_ is always watching.”**

He noticed something interesting, her voice sounded dark, like the voice she used when aggressive and commanding. Yet, it tried to hide it behind a sickly-sweet tone she couldn’t quite manage. What was “Alice” up to?

**_“What is it that keeps you going?”_ **

He decided to not reply to her as he walked along, taking notice to splotches of ink. They were fresh, sort of lumpy. There was some even splattered on the wall, as if someone made of ink had smacked into it. Henry didn’t like the looks of that… these were so fresh, like they had appeared there just minutes before his arrival.

Shaking his head, Henry continued his way up the spiral stairway.

“Alice” continued to speak, even though he never replied to her. “Is it the **thrill of the hunt?** The **thirst for your freedom?** _Or perhaps..._ **_You're just looking for a little, friendly, wolf..._** ”

Henry stopped and looked up at those words. He felt an anger bubbling in him, he was getting really tired of this, of her. He couldn’t wait for that blissful moment when he’d never have to hear her voice again.

“You better leave him alone, Angel! I’m on my way to get him!” He shouted, hearing his voice echo in the spacious room.

There was a soft, mocking laugh in return. “ **Better hurry errand boy.** **Boris is having trouble** **staying in one piece.** " With that, she turned off the mic, and Henry was left alone with only the dripping of ink as the sound in the room.

He grabbed a can of bacon soup off a shelf on one of the landings of the wooden path, throwing it hard at a visible speaker. The can smacked right into it, denting a part of the wooden framing. Henry watched with a cold stare as the can dropped, rolling towards the edge of a landing, then falling into the abyss beneath him.

He wanted to break something, he was so angry! Just… god damnit!

First, he has to be a freaking idiot and activate the Ink Machine, then he gets kidnapped and almost sacrificed by Sammy! And then there’s “Alice”…! Her stupid tasks, and all the horrors he saw in those few floors of the studio he got stuck running around in over and over, just to collect shit for her beauty regiment! Which made Henry the reason for Norman’s death, which the animator knew he’d never be able to get over, nor would he ever forgive himself for! Even though Norman practically begged to die, Henry still felt like shit about it.

And once all that was done, she had the gall to try to kill him and she stole Boris!

Hahaha… and then there’s “Bendy”! Oh, who could forget about that guy!

What’s up with him?! If he friend or foe?! The dreams with him just confuse Henry more and more! And the fact that “Bendy” saved him from that giant Searcher, was it for his own benefit, or did he actually care about Henry?

Last, but certainly not least, where the hell is Joey Drew in all of this mess?!

Henry just wanted to… he wanted to break things! Tear things apart!

He stopped, breathing hard through his teeth, his head pounding. No… no, he shouldn’t give into his sudden rage, he should keep a level head while he tried to figure out how to save Boris. If he acted irrationally, it might screw things up for him.

Strange, where did this rage come from? Had he been bottling it up this whole time? Normally he didn’t give in like this. Maybe it was just everything piling up, like when he broke down and cried earlier after finding that old recording of his voice. This… this whole place was nothing but stressful for him, he needed a break, a nap, a good buddy to just vent to and know is safe and not in the clutches of a psychotic killer…!

He grabbed a second can, screaming in rage as he threw the can like the previous one. This can flew far, striking a chain for the Ink Machine, before dropping into the darkness, lost to it.

Henry stood there in the silence, closing his eyes as he bowed his head. “Damnit…” He cursed through his teeth before glaring up at the speaker, he shouldn’t be freaking out and being furious, he needed to be focused. Boris was counting on him, who knew how much time he had left.

He continued his way up the stairs, not hearing anything else from the Angel. Seems he was left alone to his own devices now, until he came to the top landing. A Bendy cutout happily greeted him, which surprised Henry. He had only seen a few since he woke up in this area, it was… weird, to see such a small number of the paper devil.

He also wasn’t sure what the feel towards the one smiling at him, he didn’t feel scared of it, or uneasy. This one was just looking at him, watching, but didn’t give off the air of a threat.

In fact, it seemed more like it was giving off an air of… encouragement, and pity.

“Hey, buddy.” Henry mumbled, giving the cutout a little pat. He wasn’t sure what to make of “Bendy’s” constant mood changes around him, but from what he gathered with that ‘dream’ he had in the elevator, the demon might be helping him right now.

After all, they shared a common enemy in “Alice Angel”, sometimes you gotta put differences aside to take on a similar goal.

He made his way towards the entrance waiting for him at the landing, opening the door. What he found was a new room, a lounge area. It seemed… normal enough. A gramophone was playing a rather sad song, there were seats, and a Little Miracle Station set up against a wall.

Henry looked around the room, curious if there was a weapon or something of the like in here, then something caught his attention.

Crying.

And it was starting to get louder.

Looking up, Henry noticed a balcony in the room, a hallway he couldn’t access, and someone starting to shuffle across it.

The person… they looked just like one of those inky figures from the archives, but they were alive, moving, and sobbing.

 _“H-He's going to find me! He always finds me! Oh no!”_ The being looked around, so terrified, so upset. All Henry could do was just stare as the figure continued on down the hallway, not seeming to notice the animator at all.

 _“I just want to go home! When do we go home? WHEN DO WE GO HOME?”_ The inky man wailed as he disappeared from sight, his sobs echoing, getting fainter.

Henry stood there, the music that played from the record was now the only sound in the room. Who… who was that? Did that inky being… was he-? Was he once human?

“Joey… what was goin’ on in here?” Henry whispered to no one as he stepped towards a door at the end of the room, opening it up, only for a sudden shock at the sight before him.

The room… was filled with so many of those inky people. They were all looking at him, with glowing, mournful eyes. They were all silent, including Henry himself, as they stared at the newcomer. Then they started to speak, so softly, to one another, to themselves.

_The Creator…_

_A creator is back…_

_Can he help us? Can we go home?_

_Why is he here…?_

_He will set us free…_

Henry swallowed, stepping into the room. There were inky figures everywhere, some were still staring at him, others were looking away. A few were even quietly crying. The walls had graffiti on them, some reminded him of Sammy’s words, back in the music hall, but there was a large message on one of the walls.

**NO ANGELS.**

“Who… who are you?” Henry asked, finding his voice.

No one spoke, at first, but one of them quietly spoke above the sobs of some of the others.

 _“The Lost Ones”_ , the figure said, though Henry couldn’t figure out which one said it. A few of them moved close to Henry, studying him carefully, but never getting close enough to touch him. They whispered again, though it became a buzz of voices in Henry’s ears.

“I need to keep goin’.” Henry spoke up. “I have to find my friend, he’s been captured by the Angel.” The Lost Ones shrunk back, looking scared. “Don’t worry, I… I promise, I’ll take care of her, of this. None of us deserve to be here, we all want… we all want to go home.”

The Lost Ones looked at him, their glowing eyes seemed almost hopeful.

One of them moved closer, gently touching his arm with their inky hand. Carefully, they pulled him towards the back wall, where a vent was. They pointed at the vent, and a GENT flashlight that sat in it. _“To keep going, use this way, she will not see you in you use this… her eyes do not see everything…”_

He looked at the inky being, the smallest hint of a smile came to him. “Thank you, I will do my best to set you all free, but first, I need to fight her, and him.”

He took the flashlight, turning it on, before moving to get into the vent. It reminded him too much of Boris, back when they left the safe house. He sighed, shaking his head, no, Henry was gonna get his friend back, safe and sound, no need to worry.

Glancing over his shoulder, the noticed a few of the Lost Ones watching him curiously, before he turned, facing forward. He started to crawl his way down the vent. It was a cramped fit, but at least he could somewhat move about. He could see a light source ahead, a grate. Did it lead to a room he could enter?

As quietly as he could, Henry shuffled forward, trying to get closer to the grate. When he was just about two feet from it, something slammed right into the grate, and Henry almost screamed.

He stared right at “Bendy”, who seemed to be staring right back at him.

He looked… different, but it was hard to tell. Even with the flashlight, the lighting was poor, and the grate prevented him from seeing the Ink Demon, but there was something off about his appearance. He didn’t seem different in the ‘dream’, did something happen in the past hour or so?

 ** _“Heeeeennnrrryyy…”_** “Bendy” hissed, leaning in as close as he could, pressing his hands to the grate.

There was a horrible sound as “Bendy” dragged a finger across a part of the vent, his grin was literally shaking on his face, before he stepped back.

“B… Bendy?” Henry whispered, watching his deformed creation. He could feel his heart beating in his chest, but it wasn’t like it normally was when “Bendy” was close. Hell, he didn’t even feel… scared, there was an unsettling calm between them.

“Bendy” didn’t speak as he turned away, stumbling off, out of sight, his inky… puddles? There were more like puddles than lines, followed behind him.

Soon, there was nothing. No puddles, no lines, no heavy breathing, no hard beats of his heart. Henry was left alone in the vents. What was that? Why did “Bendy” do that? Did he just want to startle Henry, or was this part of his game?

Shuffling closer, Henry looked into the room “Bendy” had been in. There was an animator’s desk, along with a Bendy cutout standing next to it. There was also a door, some posters, and out of the corner of his eye, Henry could see one of those… deformed Bendy cutouts, like the one that was in a closet with him. He shuddered, remembering how it spoke to him, its eyes moved…

He wasn’t going to bother with that room, he just continued on in the vents.

There was a faint thumping sound further along, and after some exploring, Henry came across another room. It was small, cramped, and a Lost One was inside. It seems the thumping was from them, banging their head against the wall. Ink splattered with each hit, making Henry wince.

The Lost One looked at him for just a moment, letting out a loud, depressed sigh before continuing to strike their head on the wall.

“Do… do you need help?” Henry called out, not sure what else to do.

 _“No, but thank you for the offer…”_ The Lost One replied before returning to their head banging. Henry just nodded, awkwardly slipping away to continue his quest to get out of the vents. The Lost Ones… they are a depressing group, but then again, Henry figured he’d be the same if he were trapped here as an inky human being.

Made him wonder if they were ink beings who took the form of humans, or if they were former employees.

He stopped his crawling, sighing softly. Joey, what were you doing here? What did you do to these people? To all his old friends? Was Sammy a Lost One? He was an inky human, did he just… advance himself, somehow? And “Alice”, was she once one of them, or had she been something else before taking on this form she was creating?

Henry had a lot of questions, and there was only one person who could answer them all.

When he finally finds Joey, he was gonna give him the lecture of a lifetime. And a good ass kicking as well.

After what felt like forever, Henry finally founded an open ending to the vents and got himself out. He shook off the dust and cobwebs, before looking around. He saw a giant statue of Bendy in the room, much like the one that he had seen in Level 14, though way smaller. There was dried ink splattered around it and on the posters on the wall behind it.

There was a small, raised platform with a sign that read **Storage 9** across from the statue, but it was currently locked. Looking forward, Henry spotted a Bendy cutout, a sign that read **COME UP AND SEE ME** , a staircase, and something he really wasn’t expecting to see, but he probably should have.

“What the hell?” Henry looked at what appeared to be something in the shape of Bendy’s head, all the way up at the ceiling, sitting on a large platform. “There is a limit to what should have Bendy’s face, Joey!” He shouted, but obviously there was no reply.

Rolling his eyes, Henry marched his way towards the stairs, stopping at the cutout. “Can you believe this shit? Joey is a real nutcase, ain’t he?” He spoke to the smiling drawing, giving it a tired smile.

As he expected, there wasn’t a verbal reply, but he felt that if he could a reply for the cutout, Bendy would be agreeing with him. He’d probably crack a joke about it as well. Reaching over, Bendy patted the cutout’s head, between its horns, before going up the stairs. He ignored the writing on the wall, that said **ALMOST THERE** , before coming up to the landing, under the giant Bendy head.

Henry didn’t expect any of what was before him. There were dozens of sheets of paper, scattered all over, covered in writing and sketches. There were boards coated in paper, along with large drawings of designs.

Carefully, Henry walked around the inside of the head, shocked by all of the drawings and writings. They were plans and designs for an amusement park, for something called Bendy Land. He was unsure of what to say, what to think, as he looked over the large drawings. Rides, attractions, so many things…

Then he remembered a tape, one he heard all the way back in Level 9.

Grant Cohen had stated that Joey had another large project in mind.

“Was… was this your project, Joey? Bendy Land?”

Honestly, he was impressed. He didn’t know much about amusement park planning, but these were so well planned out. So many ideas, the drawings were amazing and detailed. Who designed this? Joey didn’t have an artistic bone in his body to come up with all of this!

He turned his attention to the table in the center of the room. Henry found a map set on it, along with some 3-D models of buildings for it. Seems like the park would have four areas; Dark Land, Light Land, Big Land, and Tiny Land. From what Henry could tell with the map, Dark Land had to be for Bendy, while Light Land was for Alice. He glanced over at one of the drawings, it was a building with Bendy on it, peeking over the ledge, with giant demon wings.

Hm, Joey never did like when Henry had done little drawings of Bendy with tails or wings, so why did it get to be on an attraction?

He snorted, rolling his eyes, before spotting the recorder on the table. Reaching over, he clicked play, and heard a voice he had never heard before.

_“For forty years, I've built attractions that stagger the imagination! Colossal wonders such as the world has never seen! I have earned my legacy with sweat._

_But right in front of everyone... high level investors, Wall Street tycoons, the ever-tactless Joey Drew introduces me, the great Bertrum Piedmont, as Bertie! Like I was his child._

_You may be paying me, Mister Drew! But you don't own me!_

_I'll build you a park bigger than anything YOU could ever possibly conceive! But before you go taking any bows, Mister Drew, know that this grand achievement will belong to me... and to me alone.”_

Bertrum Piedmont, eh? Well, that must be the man behind Bendy Land, cause there was no way that Joey could have designed any of these amazing attractions. Hm, wonder what happened to the project, Henry had never heard of Bendy Land before, so it’s pretty obvious that it never got built.

“Must have ran out of money…” Henry mumbled to himself as he stepped away from the table, seeing a switch on the wall. He pulled it down, and heard something, did he unlock the door to the storage room?

Hopefully it led to Boris. Well, only one way to find out. He walked away from the design room, making his way back down the stairs, stopping at the Bendy cutout. “Heh, gonna give me any clues to what’s beyond that door?”

There was no reply, just a blank smile.

“Didn’t think so.” Henry gave Bendy another pat before making his way to the new room.

END

**Author's Note:**

> I’m stopping it there, cause if I wrote the stuff in Storage 9, this story would go on way too long, and I didn’t want to do that for a one-shot.
> 
> Anyway, it was fun to write for the Lost Ones again, and to do the vent scene! I’ve been wanting to write something for it for a while, but I’m not sure what to make for “Bendy’s” part. Considering that I have no clue what “Bendy” was doing in that moment in-game, I don’t know what to make of it for this series.
> 
> Maybe he’s just wanting to scare Henry.
> 
> By the way, I want to take a little moment to advertise that I do have another Bendy fanfic out, called Ink Spots. It’s not a series of one-shots like Pulling Strings, it’s a chaptered fanfic with illustrations for each chapter. I’m mentioning it here cause I’m also working on it along with this story, and a lot of my attention is on that one currently. 
> 
> Anyway, thank you for reading! Please kudos and comment!


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